JP2004040250A - Ultrasonic transducer and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the flexibility of design about the configuration, shape and the like of transducer elements, without needing a special process of a piezoelectric material. <P>SOLUTION: An element array for forming a sparse type 2D transducer is composed of an active element 20A and reactive element 20B. For the element array, a plurality of element groups are set, with each being composed of four elements. Each element group forms a transducer element 34 and has a lead 12 for each element 34 as common connection electrode, allowing the pitch between the transducer elements to be half the size of the transducer element. It is also applicable to 1.5D transducer or 1D transducer and the like. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic transducer for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves and a method for manufacturing the same.
[0002]
[Prior art and its problems]
The 2D array vibrator is an array vibrator in which vibrating elements are arranged vertically and horizontally, and is used when an ultrasonic beam is electronically two-dimensionally scanned to form a three-dimensional echo data space. As an electronic scanning method in that case, an electronic sector scanning or the like is known. The 2D array vibrator is composed of an extremely large number of vibrating elements, and the number of lead wires (connection electrodes) connected to each vibrating element is also large. For this reason, the manufacturing cost when actually manufacturing the 2D array transducer is very large.
[0003]
Therefore, it has been proposed to realize a two-dimensional scanning of an ultrasonic beam by limiting the number of vibrating elements that actually function as ultrasonic waves among a plurality of vibrating elements and distributing them in a distributed manner. This is called a sparse 2D transducer. In the case of this sparse type 2D array transducer, there is a problem that the grating lobe (unnecessary radiation) becomes large and the image quality of the ultrasonic image is deteriorated. The reason for this is that, due to the manufacturing requirement of forming a plurality of vibrating elements (each vibrating element functions as an effective vibrating element or an invalid vibrating element) by forming vertical and horizontal dividing grooves, the actual vibration between the effective vibrating elements This is because the interval is an integral multiple of the pitch between the vibrating elements. Generally, in order to reduce the grating lobe, the pitch between the vibrating elements should be reduced. However, it is impossible to make the pitch between the vibrating elements smaller than the size of the vibrating elements.
[0004]
The problem with the regular arrangement and shape of the vibrating elements is that, in addition to the sparse type 2D array vibrator, a normal 2D array vibrator, a 1.5D array vibrator (elevation direction orthogonal to the electronic scanning direction) In this case, the electronic control is performed by arranging the vibration elements.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to increase the degree of freedom in designing the arrangement and shape of a vibration element in an ultrasonic transducer without requiring special processing of a piezoelectric material. Is to be able to
[0006]
Another object of the present invention is to make it possible to reduce the pitch between the vibrating elements to an integral number of the vibrating elements.
[0007]
Another object of the present invention is to reduce the grating lobe by breaking the regularity of the arrangement of the vibrating elements.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
(1) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an element array made of a piezoelectric material and configured as a plurality of elements arranged in rows and columns, and for each element group set for the element array. And a plurality of common connection electrodes commonly connected to a plurality of elements constituting the element group, wherein a vibration element is configured for each of the element groups.
[0009]
According to the above configuration, for example, a plurality of elements are formed in a matrix by grooving or dicing a piezoelectric plate made of a piezoelectric material (vibrator material) vertically and horizontally, that is, an element array is formed. A plurality of element groups are set for the element array, and a common connection electrode is electrically connected to each element group. Therefore, the plurality of elements having the common connection relationship function as a vibrating element that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves as a whole. Therefore, a vibrating element having a desired shape can be formed at a desired position depending on the setting pattern of the element group. That is, wiring, that is, electrode connection is appropriately performed without complicated processing of the piezoelectric material. A vibrating element can be constituted only by this. Here, the element constitutes the minimum unit of the shape or the minimum unit of positioning of the vibration element. Some elements in the element array may be invalid elements that do not transmit and receive ultrasonic waves. In that case, the invalid element itself may be in an electrically open state, but is desirably in an electrically shorted state. Further, there may be an element which functions alone as a vibration element in the element array.
[0010]
Preferably, a backing layer is provided on the back side of the element array, and the plurality of common connection electrodes are inserted through the backing layer. By appropriately setting the formation pattern of the plurality of common connection electrodes, a desired vibration element pattern can be formed. If a plurality of common connection electrodes are provided on the backing layer, signal connection to each vibration element can be easily performed.
[0011]
Preferably, each of the element groups has the same number of elements, and has the same shape. The plurality of element groups set for the element array include a first element group and a second element group having at least one of a different number of elements and a different shape from the first element group.
[0012]
(2) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an element array made of a piezoelectric material and configured as a plurality of elements arranged in rows and columns, and each element group set for the element array. And a plurality of common connection electrodes commonly connected to a plurality of elements constituting the element group, and a vibration element is configured for each of the element groups, and a plurality of vibration elements are provided on the element array. It is characterized by being set in a distributed manner.
[0013]
According to the above configuration, a sparse type 2D vibrator is configured, and a plurality of vibrating elements constituting the sparse type 2D vibrator are each configured by a plurality of elements. For example, when a vibration element is composed of 2 × 2 elements, the minimum pitch between the vibration elements in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction is one element. That is, in this case, the pitch can be reduced to half that of the conventional art, and the grating lobe can be reduced. The respective vibrating elements may have the same shape as each other, but the shape (or the number of elements) may be varied between the center of the array and the periphery of the array. Further, when the transmitting vibration element and the receiving vibration element are configured separately, the number of elements may be changed between them.
[0014]
Desirably, the element array includes a plurality of effective elements constituting the vibration element and a plurality of invalid elements not constituting the vibration element.
[0015]
(3) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an element array formed by arranging element rows made of a piezoelectric material and aligned in the elevation direction in the electronic scanning direction, and setting each of the element rows. A plurality of common connection electrodes that are provided for each of the element groups to be connected and are commonly connected to a plurality of elements that constitute the element group, wherein a vibration element is configured for each of the element groups. .
[0016]
According to the above configuration, in an array vibrator such as a 1D array vibrator or a 1.5D array vibrator, a vibrating element pattern (arrangement) can be freely set for each element row aligned in the elevation direction.
[0017]
The vibration element patterns in the elevation direction may be different between adjacent element rows. According to this configuration, the regularity is relaxed, so that the grating lobe generated due to the regularity can be reduced.
[0018]
(4) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an element array made of piezoelectric material and arranged in the elevation direction and arranged in the electronic scanning direction, and sets each of the element arrays. A plurality of common connection electrodes provided for each element group to be connected and commonly connected to a plurality of elements constituting the element group, and a plurality of common connection electrodes provided for each isolated element that does not belong to the element group in each element row. And an individual connection electrode, wherein a vibration element is configured for each of the element groups and each of the single elements.
[0019]
According to the above configuration, the vibrating element is composed of a plurality of elements and, if necessary, a single element. That is, the number of elements constituting the vibrating element is appropriately set for each vibrating element. A common connection electrode (in the case of an element group) or an individual connection electrode (in the case of a single element) is connected to each vibration element.
[0020]
(5) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an element array formed by arranging element rows made of a piezoelectric material and aligned in the elevation direction in the electronic scanning direction; And a plurality of connection electrodes connected to the effective element group used for at least one of the wave reception, and that the opening position of the effective element group differs between adjacent element rows in the elevation direction. Features.
[0021]
According to the above configuration, it is possible to make the opening positions in the elevation direction different between the adjacent element rows, so that the opening positions can be given diversity.
[0022]
(6) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to an element array as a plurality of elements made of a piezoelectric material and arranged in the elevation direction and the electronic scanning direction. A plurality of common connection electrodes provided for each set element group and commonly connected to a plurality of elements constituting the element group, wherein each element group forms a vibration element, and each vibration element is The elevation direction is a longitudinal direction, and the respective vibrating elements are arranged side by side in the electronic scanning direction, and both sides along the longitudinal direction of the respective vibrating elements are uneven in units of elements. It is characterized by having a shape.
[0023]
According to the above configuration, a vibrating element having a desired shape can be configured without requiring special cutting or the like of the piezoelectric material.
[0024]
(7) According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an element array configured as a plurality of elements made of a piezoelectric material and arranged vertically and horizontally, and each element set for the element array. A plurality of common connection electrodes commonly connected to a plurality of elements constituting an element group are provided for each group, and the elements constituting the element array constitute at least one of a positioning unit and a shape unit of the vibration element. And
[0025]
According to the above configuration, the minimum pitch between the vibrating elements in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction can be made smaller than that of the vibrating element, and the vibrating element itself can maintain the same size as the related art. Therefore, it is possible to form an ultrasonic image with high resolution and less artifacts.
[0026]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0027]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a main part of an ultrasonic transducer according to the present invention. This ultrasonic vibrator is a sparse type 2D vibrator.
[0028]
The backing 10 is constituted by an ultrasonic absorbing member, and a plurality of leads 12 are embedded in the backing 10 along the vertical direction. Each lead 12 is provided for each vibrating element constituting the sparse 2D vibrator, which will be described in detail later. An electrode array 14 is formed on the upper surface 10A of the backing 10. The electrode array 14 is constituted by a plurality of electrode pads 16 arranged vertically and horizontally.
[0029]
The element array 18 is formed by cutting a piezoelectric material having an extremely thin conductive layer (electrode) formed on the upper and lower surfaces by a known method such as sputtering. That is, a ground-side electrode (not shown) is formed on the upper surface of each element 20, and a signal-side electrode (not shown) is formed on the lower surface of each element 20. A plurality of elements 20 are provided on the upper surface 10 </ b> A of the backing 10 at positions corresponding to the respective electrode pads 16, and each of the electrode pads 16 corresponds in position to a signal electrode of each of the elements 20. These elements 20 constitute an element array 18. As will be described later, the element array 18 is roughly composed of an effective element and an invalid element, and ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received using the effective element.
[0030]
A ground lead 22 made of, for example, copper foil is provided above the element array 18 as a common lead for the ground-side electrode of each element 20. A matching layer array 24 is provided on the upper surface side of the ground lead 22. The matching layer array 24 includes a plurality of matching layers 26, and each matching layer 26 is provided for each element 20. Although only one matching layer array 24 is shown in FIG. 1, two matching layers may be used.
[0031]
Although an electrode film made of gold or the like is formed on the upper and lower surfaces of each element 20, it is not shown in FIG. The element array 18 is composed of, for example, 160 × 160 elements 20, and is generally formed by performing groove cutting or dicing on one piezoelectric plate along the vertical and horizontal directions. These elements 20 are formed. In this case, as will be described later, the electrode array 14 is simultaneously formed by such dicing or the like.
[0032]
As described above, a plurality of leads 12 are provided in the backing 10 along the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, each lead 12 is centered on a central portion of, for example, four elements 20 constituting the vibration element. Has a horizontal cross-section extending over the four elements 20. That is, the upper surface of the lead 12 is electrically connected to the four electrode pads 16, and when a high voltage is applied between the electrode pad 16 and the ground lead 22, the ultrasonic wave is forwarded from the vibrating element (see FIG. When an ultrasonic wave is received by the vibrating element, an electric signal generated therefrom is output to an external ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body via the corresponding lead 12.
[0033]
Next, a manufacturing process of the sparse 2D vibrator shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 show a part of the backing 10. As shown in FIG. 2, a lead 12 as a common connection electrode is provided on the backing 10 in advance at a position where a vibrating element is formed so as to penetrate vertically. Here, in FIG. 2, reference numeral 12A indicates the upper surface of the lead 12, and reference numeral 12B indicates the lower surface of the lead 12.
[0034]
As shown in FIG. 3, an electrode pad layer 30 is formed on the entire upper surface 10A of the backing 10 with a certain thickness.
[0035]
On the other hand, a contact 32 is formed on the lower surface side of the backing 10 in correspondence with each lead 12. Here, an electrode layer may be formed on the entire lower surface side of the backing 10, and the contact 32 may be formed for each lead 12 by using etching or dicing. In any case, electrical insulation between the leads 12 must be ensured.
[0036]
In the state shown in FIG. 3, a piezoelectric plate (not shown) is attached on the upper surface side of the electrode pad layer 30, and thereafter, the piezoelectric plate and the electrode pad layer 30 are vertically and horizontally aligned by using a dicing saw. Along a predetermined pitch along the groove.
[0037]
FIG. 4 shows the electrode pad layer 30 after the cutting, in which four electrode pads 16 are shown.
[0038]
As shown in FIG. 1, elements 20 having the same size are also formed simultaneously corresponding to the respective electrode pads 16, but are not shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the leads 12 are electrically connected across the four electrode pads 16 around the center of the four electrode pads 16. Therefore, when an electric signal is applied to the contact 32, the signal is simultaneously transmitted to the four electrode pads 16 via the leads 12, whereby the signal is applied to the four elements 20 at the same time. .
[0039]
In the above description, the electrode pad layer 30 is formed on the upper surface side of the backing 10 (see FIG. 3). However, it is needless to say that the electrode pad layer is formed on the lower surface side of the piezoelectric plate and then the two members are bonded. It may be. In any case, the manufacturing process can be simplified if the electrode pads 16 are formed at the same time when the piezoelectric plate is diced.
[0040]
Incidentally, after the dicing is performed, a ground lead 22 is provided on the element array 18 shown in FIG. 1, and after a matching member is further provided thereon, dicing is performed on the matching member. A matching layer array 24 is formed.
[0041]
FIG. 5 shows the element array 18. As described above, the element array 18 includes an effective element 20A for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves and another invalid element 20B. In the element array 18, a plurality of element groups are set, and in the example shown in FIG. 5, each element group is configured by four elements (effective elements).
[0042]
The element group is connected to the lead 12 as a common connection electrode, thereby forming the vibration element 34 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, each vibrating element 34 has a size obtained by adding the areas of approximately four elements, but the minimum pitch between the vibrating elements 34 in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction is equal to one element. It is. That is, it is possible to set the inter-vibrator pitch to a fraction of the integer of the vibration element 34.
[0043]
FIG. 6 shows a conventional sparse 2D vibrator as a comparative example. This vibrator is roughly divided into an effective element 36A and an ineffective element 36B. As in FIG. 5, the effective elements are dispersedly arranged along the array surface direction. It is for one. On the other hand, according to the configuration shown in FIG. 5, there is an advantage that the pitch between the elements can be reduced to half of that in the related art while almost maintaining the area of the vibration element.
[0044]
In the example shown in FIG. 5, one vibrator 34 is composed of 2 × 2 elements. However, the size can be set arbitrarily, and the shape can be set arbitrarily. It is possible. In the present embodiment, dicing is performed in the vertical and horizontal directions as described above, and on the other hand, by appropriately setting the arrangement and shape of the leads, the manufacturing process is not complicated, and the manufacturing cost is increased. However, there is an advantage that various sparse type 2D vibrators can be configured.
[0045]
Another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0046]
In the embodiment shown in FIG. A so-called 1.5D array transducer is shown. The 1.5D array vibrator is composed of a plurality of elements arranged vertically and horizontally. In the figure, the X direction is the electronic scanning direction, and the Y direction is the elevation direction.
[0047]
As shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of element rows 40 and 41 are arranged along the electronic scanning direction, and each element row 40 and 41 is constituted by a plurality of elements arranged in the elevation direction.
[0048]
For example, focusing on the element sequence 40, the element sequence 40 is composed of elements 42 to 58, and the element sequence 40 has three element groups 60 to 64 set. The element group 60 is composed of elements 44 and 46, the element group 62 is composed of elements 48, 50 and 52, and the element group 64 is composed of elements 54 and 56. Each of the element groups 60 to 64 constitutes an independent vibration element. On the other hand, the elements 42 and 58 provided separately at the ends constitute the vibration element independently. Incidentally, reference numerals 66 to 74 in FIG. 7 denote electrode pads, electrode pads 68 to 72 are common connection electrodes corresponding to the element groups, and electrode pads 66 and 74 are individual connection electrodes.
[0049]
As shown in FIG. 7, the vibrating element patterns are different between adjacent element rows. In FIG. 7, the vibrating element patterns of the element row denoted by reference numeral 40 and the vibrating element patterns of the element row denoted by reference numeral 41 are set alternately. Here, in the element pattern indicated by the reference numeral 41, the vibration element in the center portion is constituted by only a single element extending in the elevation direction, and thereafter, two elements are provided on both ends in the elevation direction. Two vibration elements are configured. In FIG. 7, electrode pads 76 to 84 are connected to the respective vibration elements.
[0050]
According to the configuration example shown in FIG. 7, when a 1.5D vibrator is configured, electronic phase control can be performed in the elevation direction, and the vibrating element pattern is changed between adjacent element rows so that the There is an advantage that the problem due to the nature can be reduced.
[0051]
Of course, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, similarly to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, only the pattern of the electrode pad needs to be appropriately set, and no special dicing processing is required.
[0052]
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, similarly to the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of element rows 90 and 91 are formed along the electronic scanning direction, and each of the element rows 90 and 91 is arranged in the elevation direction. It is composed of a number of aligned elements.
[0053]
Here, focusing on the element sequence 90, the element sequence 90 includes elements 92 to 112, and a plurality of element groups 114 to 122 are set for the element sequence 90. Each of these element groups 114 to 122 constitutes a vibration element.
[0054]
Further, common electrode pads 124 to 132 are provided over a plurality of elements. Incidentally, the end element 92 is an invalid element that does not function in transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves.
[0055]
As shown in FIG. 8, in the 1.5D vibrator, the vibrating element patterns are different between the adjacent element rows, and the positions of the transmitting and receiving apertures are alternately different in the elevation direction.
[0056]
Specifically, the vibrator pattern in the element row 90 and the vibrator pattern in the element row 91 are set alternately. Here, in the element row 91, the element at the end different from the element row 90 is an invalid element. It has been. Incidentally, reference numerals 134 to 142 indicate common electrode pads, respectively.
[0057]
Therefore, according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, since the position of the transmission / reception aperture can be shifted for each element row, there is an advantage that regularity can be relaxed and grating lobes can be suppressed.
[0058]
FIG. 9 shows a further embodiment. The vibrator shown in FIG. 9 is a 1D vibrator. Specifically, a plurality of element groups 134 and 136 are arranged in the electronic scanning direction, and each of the element groups 134 and 136 forms a vibration element. Each of the element groups 134 and 136 has a form that extends in the elevation direction, and has a form that is uneven in the electronic scanning direction at each position in the elevation direction.
[0059]
More specifically, for example, when attention is paid to each of the stages 138 to 148 in the element array, the positions of the element pairs forming the element groups are different by one element in the electronic scanning direction between the even-numbered stages and the odd-numbered stages.
[0060]
In FIG. 9, reference numerals 150 to 154 denote invalid elements at the ends.
[0061]
When the group setting as shown in FIG. 9 is performed, for example, signal electrodes as shown in FIG. 10 can be used. That is, the electrode pads 156 to 160 conform to the forms of the element groups 134 and 136.
[0062]
According to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, it is possible to increase the variety of the form and reduce the grating lobe based on the regularity of the form as compared with the conventional case of simply forming a rectangular vibration element. There are advantages. The embodiment shown in FIG. 9 is an example, and various other group settings can be made. In any case, in this embodiment, only the vertical and horizontal cuttings are performed and the desired shape can be obtained by operating the electrode shape. There is an advantage that the vibration element shape and its position can be set.
[0063]
For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, each vibrating element 34, that is, each element group has the same number of elements and the same shape, but is not limited thereto. That is, the number of elements constituting each element group and the shape thereof may be non-identical.
[0064]
FIG. 11 shows two representative element groups 200 and 202 (other element groups are not shown). The element group 200 is composed of two elements 204 and 206 arranged in the left-right direction, to which a lead 208 is connected. On the other hand, the element group 202 is composed of four elements 210 to 216 arranged in a square, to which the leads 218 are connected. Thus, the number of elements and the shape may be different for each element group.
[0065]
FIG. 12 also shows two representative element groups 220 and 222 (other element groups are not shown). The element group 220 is composed of four elements 224 to 230 arranged in an L-shape, to which leads 232 are connected. On the other hand, the element group 222 is composed of four elements 234 to 240 arranged in a square, and a lead 242 is connected to them. The two element groups 222 and 224 have the same number of elements, but have different shapes. In any case, by appropriately setting the shape of the lead (or the element connection relation), the vibration element can be configured with a desired number of elements and a desired shape.
[0066]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, in the ultrasonic vibrator, the degree of freedom in designing the arrangement and shape of the vibrating elements can be increased without requiring special processing of the piezoelectric material. Further, according to the present invention, the pitch between the vibrating elements can be reduced to a positive number of the vibrating elements. Further, according to the present invention, grating lobes can be reduced by breaking the regularity of the arrangement of the vibrating elements.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of an ultrasonic transducer according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a view for explaining a manufacturing process of the ultrasonic transducer according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a manufacturing process of the ultrasonic transducer according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a manufacturing process of the ultrasonic transducer according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a sparse type 2D vibrator.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a comparative example.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a 1.5D vibrator.
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a 1.5D vibrator.
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a 1D vibrator.
FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining electrodes used for the 1D vibrator shown in FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a diagram for describing a configuration example of an element group.
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating another configuration example of the element group.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 backing, 12 leads, 14 electrode array, 16 electrode pad, 18 element array, 20 element, 22 ground lead, 24 matching layer array, 26 matching layer, 34 vibrating element (element group).

Claims (11)

An element array made of a piezoelectric material and configured as a plurality of elements arranged in rows and columns,
A plurality of common connection electrodes provided for each element group set for the element array and commonly connected to a plurality of elements constituting the element group,
Including
An ultrasonic vibrator, wherein a vibrating element is configured for each of the element groups. The ultrasonic transducer according to claim 1,
A backing layer is provided on the back side of the element array,
An ultrasonic transducer, wherein the plurality of common connection electrodes are inserted through the backing layer. The ultrasonic transducer according to claim 1,
The ultrasonic transducer according to claim 1, wherein each of the element groups has the same number of elements and has the same shape. The ultrasonic transducer according to claim 1,
The plurality of element groups set for the element array include a first element group and a second element group that differs from the first element group in at least one of the number and shape of elements. Ultrasonic transducer. An element array made of a piezoelectric material and configured as a plurality of elements arranged in rows and columns,
A plurality of common connection electrodes provided for each element group set for the element array and commonly connected to a plurality of elements constituting the element group,
Including
A vibration element is configured for each of the element groups,
An ultrasonic transducer wherein a plurality of transducers are set in a distributed manner on the element array. The ultrasonic transducer according to claim 5,
The ultrasonic transducer according to claim 1, wherein the element array includes a plurality of effective elements constituting the vibrating element and a plurality of invalid elements not constituting the vibrating element. An element array composed of piezoelectric materials and arranged in the electronic scanning direction with element rows aligned in the elevation direction,
A plurality of common connection electrodes provided for each element group set for each of the element columns, and commonly connected to a plurality of elements constituting the element group,
Including
An ultrasonic vibrator, wherein a vibrating element is configured for each of the element groups. An element array composed of piezoelectric materials and arranged in the electronic scanning direction with element rows aligned in the elevation direction,
A plurality of common connection electrodes provided for each element group set for each of the element columns, and commonly connected to a plurality of elements constituting the element group,
A plurality of individual connection electrodes provided for each isolated element that does not belong to the element group in each element row,
Including
A vibrating element is provided for each of said element groups and each of said isolated elements. An element array composed of piezoelectric materials and arranged in the electronic scanning direction with element rows aligned in the elevation direction,
A plurality of connection electrodes connected to an effective element group used for at least one of transmitting and receiving waves in each element row,
Including
An ultrasonic vibrator characterized in that the opening positions of the effective element groups are different in the elevation direction between adjacent element rows. An element array as a plurality of elements made of a piezoelectric material and arranged in the elevation direction and the electronic scanning direction,
A plurality of common connection electrodes provided for each element group set for each element array, and commonly connected to a plurality of elements constituting the element group,
Including
Each of the element groups constitutes a vibration element,
Each of the vibrating elements has a form in which the elevation direction is the longitudinal direction, and each of the vibrating elements is arranged side by side in the electronic scanning direction,
An ultrasonic vibrator, wherein both sides along the longitudinal direction of each of the vibrating elements have an uneven shape in units of elements. For an element array made of a piezoelectric material and configured as a plurality of elements arranged vertically and horizontally, each element group set for the element array is commonly connected to a plurality of elements constituting the element group. Providing a plurality of common connection electrodes,
A method of manufacturing an ultrasonic transducer, wherein the elements constituting the element array constitute at least one of a positioning unit and a shape unit of the vibration element.

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